FatelessPen bisa melihat ekspresi penasaran di wajah Asher. Ia menyeringai sebelum berbicara lagi.
"Penasaran, ya?"
Asher mengangguk, tidak repot-repot menyangkalnya.
FatelessPen mulai menjelaskan, "Nama itu berasal dari kemampuan bangkitanku sendiri." Hanya dengan satu pikiran, sebuah pena muncul di tangannya. "Kemampuanku adalah pena yang terikat jiwa. Sederhana, bukan?" tanyanya sambil menatap langsung ke mata Asher.
Asher terdiam. Ia tidak terlalu terkejut. Meskipun ia sudah terbiasa dengan orang-orang yang membangkitkan berbagai senjata jiwa sebagai kemampuan, harus diketahui bahwa ada individu seperti Tetua Morthen, orang-orang yang kemampuan bangkitannya bukanlah senjata tradisional dalam pengertian umum. FatelessPen jelas termasuk dalam kategori itu.
"Pena terikat jiwaku memungkinkanku untuk menggambar apa pun menjadi kenyataan," FatelessPen mulai menjelaskan kemampuan yang terhubung dengan pena jiwanya. "Selama aku memiliki cukup Energi Astra untuk itu, pada dasarnya aku bisa menggambar apa pun menjadi hidup." Suaranya terdengar bangga saat ia berbicara. Dunia ini hanyalah kanvasnya, dan ia adalah seniman yang melukis di atasnya dengan bebas.
"Sebagai contoh, aku bisa menggambar Sky Jet yang benar-benar baru menjadi ada dalam waktu kurang dari sedetik," ujar FatelessPen dengan seringai di wajahnya.
Asher terdiam sejenak. Meskipun ia tidak mengatakan apa pun dengan lantang, ia mengerti betapa absurdnya kekuatan kemampuan seperti itu. Jika FatelessPen memutuskan untuk menggambar matahari yang meledak, maka matahari lain secara teoretis bisa muncul dan meledak dengan kekuatan katastrofik dan kegilaan yang sama. Jika pria itu memiliki cukup Energi Astra, ia mungkin bisa menggambar planet atau bahkan galaksi yang benar-benar baru menjadi ada.
Asher bahkan tidak ingin membayangkan serangan mengerikan yang berpotensi diciptakan FatelessPen dengan kemampuan yang keterlaluan itu.
"Bukankah itu berarti kau pada dasarnya bisa menggambar uang menjadi ada?" suara Finch tiba-tiba terdengar dari samping, karena naluri pedagangnya langsung mengaitkan kemampuan FatelessPen dengan kekayaan dan keuntungan tak terbatas.
FatelessPen tidak merespons secara verbal. Sebaliknya, pena di tangannya berkedip ringan, dan saat berikutnya, tumpukan koin platinum jatuh ke lantai pesawat.
Semua orang menatapnya dengan terkejut.
Pria itu benar-benar tidak perlu bekerja lagi seumur hidupnya. Ia bisa saja duduk dan menggambar uang tanpa henti sampai akhir hayatnya.
Namun, tidak ada yang repot-repot menyuarakan pikiran tersebut dengan lantang. Mereka semua mengerti bahwa kekuatan dan keperkasaan mutlak tidak bisa dibeli hanya dengan uang.
"Apakah ada batasan untuk apa yang bisa kau gambar?" tanya Asher sambil memungut salah satu koin platinum. Koin itu terasa benar-benar nyata dan berwujud di tangannya. Ia sudah bisa memastikan bahwa itu bukan jenis objek yang akan tiba-tiba menghilang saat kemampuannya dinonaktifkan.
"Hoo!!! Sudah bertanya tentang kelemahanku? Bukankah kau berani?" FatelessPen bercanda dengan senyum di wajahnya, sengaja menghindari menjawab pertanyaan itu secara langsung. Sudah menjadi rahasia umum bahwa setiap kemampuan memiliki semacam kelemahan atau batasan. Biasanya, orang lain dibiarkan menemukannya sendiri daripada si pengguna mengungkapkannya secara terbuka.
Tepat saat Asher hendak berbicara lagi, tentakel raksasa tiba-tiba menghantam Sky Jet dengan kekuatan brutal dan kedahsyatan yang mengerikan. Meskipun para siswa merasakan getaran akibat benturan tersebut, tidak ada kerusakan yang terjadi berkat sistem pertahanan bawaan Sky Jet.
"Sepertinya itu tandanya," ujar FatelessPen dengan santai. "Kita bisa melanjutkan percakapan ini setelah kita tiba di Kekaisaran Thalvorn." Dengan seringai yang masih menghiasi wajahnya, ia menghilang dari tempatnya berdiri, dan langsung muncul kembali di luar Sky Jet.
Asher dan para siswa lainnya segera bergegas menuju jendela untuk menyaksikan pertempuran yang akan terjadi. Di bawah mereka terbentang samudra tak berujung, dan dari dalamnya muncul sosok yang tampak seperti monster gurita raksasa peringkat tinggi.
FatelessPen bahkan tidak repot-repot bereaksi secara emosional terhadap monster di hadapannya. Ia hanya menjentikkan pena terikat jiwanya seolah-olah sedang melukis sebuah serangan menjadi kenyataan.
Saat berikutnya, Energi Astra meledak keluar dari urat Astra miliknya saat seluruh samudra tak berujung itu tiba-tiba mulai bergejolak hebat, berubah menjadi satu pusaran samudra kolosal yang dipenuhi kekuatan penghancur dan bilah-bilah air yang tak terhitung jumlahnya, yang berpusat sepenuhnya pada gurita tersebut.
Sebelum makhluk itu sempat bereaksi dengan benar, ia langsung hancur menjadi potongan-potongan pasta daging di bawah kekuatan serangan yang mengerikan itu.
FatelessPen melayang dengan tenang di atas samudra dengan ekspresi acuh tak acuh di wajahnya. Hanya butuh waktu kurang dari satu detik baginya untuk melenyapkan monster kelas Void sepenuhnya.
Ia melirik sekilas ke arah samudra yang kini berubah warna menjadi ungu karena darah makhluk itu sebelum menghilang sekali lagi.
Asher, yang menyaksikan pembantaian itu dari awal hingga akhir, hanya bisa menggelengkan kepalanya dalam hati. Orang-orang di dalam Crymora benar-benar memiliki terlalu banyak kemampuan yang keterlaluan. Ia tidak bisa menahan diri untuk berterima kasih dalam hati kepada Bintang-bintang karena telah mengizinkannya mendapatkan Pecahan Inti Bintang sejak awal.
Hari-hari berlalu dengan sangat cepat setelah itu. Tidak ada Instruktur lain yang repot-repot berinteraksi dengan para siswa, karena mereka semua tetap berada di lantai tertinggi Sky Jet sepanjang perjalanan. Para siswa sendiri sering berpindah antara lantai saat ini dan lantai istirahat di atas, di mana banyak dari mereka praktis tidur sepanjang perjalanan. Yang lain menjadi tertarik untuk mencoba hidangan yang disajikan oleh layanan kuliner di atas Sky Jet dan terus-menerus mengunjungi lantai dapur.
Sepanjang minggu yang panjang itu, mereka menghadapi berbagai serangan dari monster, binatang buas, dan bahkan Emovirae. Pada awalnya, para siswa tentu saja merasa gugup dan waspada terhadap bahaya konstan yang mengelilingi mereka, tetapi hanya setelah beberapa jam, mereka perlahan-lahan terbiasa dengan itu semua karena FatelessPen dengan mudah menangani setiap ancaman sendirian tanpa membiarkan satu makhluk pun mendekati atau membahayakan Sky Jet.
Saat tanggal kedatangan semakin dekat, kegembiraan para siswa secara alami kembali muncul. Saat tujuh hari penuh berlalu, hampir tidak ada yang tidur lagi, karena tidak ingin melewatkan momen saat mereka akhirnya memasuki Kekaisaran lain.
Adapun Asher, ia menghabiskan sepanjang minggu dengan menatap keluar jendela dalam diam, berbicara santai dengan teman-temannya, atau tidur nyenyak tanpa memedulikan apa pun di dunia ini. Ia pernah bertanya apakah Sky Jet memiliki ruang latihan, tetapi sayangnya, tidak ada. Setidaknya ia berharap bisa berkultivasi sedikit selama perjalanan.
Tiba-tiba, sebuah suara bergema di seluruh lantai bawah Sky Jet.
"Kita telah tiba di Kekaisaran Thalvorn. Bersiaplah untuk turun dari Sky Jet."
Mendengar kata-kata itu, mata para siswa langsung berkobar dengan kegembiraan petualangan.
Asher hanya terus menatap melalui jendela, di mana ia sudah bisa melihat cahaya yang tak terhitung jumlahnya menerangi Kekaisaran di bawah dari atas, membentang tak berujung ke kejauhan seperti lautan bintang yang tersebar di seluruh negeri itu sendiri.
Sky Jet perlahan mulai turun saat bersiap untuk mendarat.
FatelessPen could see the curious expression on Asher’s face. He smirked before speaking again.
"Curious, aren’t you?"
Asher nodded, not bothering to deny it.
FatelessPen began to explain, "The name stems from my own awakened ability." With a mere thought, a pen appeared within his hand. "My ability is a soul-bound pen. Simple, right?" he asked as he met Asher’s gaze directly.
Asher remained silent. He wasn’t particularly surprised. Although he was already used to people awakening various soul-bound weapons as abilities, it had to be known that individuals like Elder Morthen existed, people whose awakened abilities weren’t traditional weapons in the general sense. FatelessPen clearly belonged within that category.
"My soul-bound Pen simply allows me to draw anything into reality," FatelessPen began explaining the ability connected to his soul-bound pen. "As long as I possess enough Astra Energy for it, I can basically draw anything to life." His voice carried pride as he spoke. The world itself was merely his canvas, and he was the artist painting across it freely.
"For example, I could draw an entirely new Sky Jet into existence in less than a second," FatelessPen stated with a smirk resting across his face.
Asher remained silent for a moment. Although he said nothing aloud, he understood exactly how absurdly powerful such an ability truly was. If FatelessPen decided to draw the sun exploding, then another sun could theoretically manifest and explode with identical catastrophic force and madness. If the man possessed enough Astra Energy, he could probably draw entirely new planets or perhaps even galaxies into existence.
Asher didn’t even want to imagine the horrifying attacks FatelessPen could potentially create with such an outrageous ability.
"Doesn’t that mean you can basically draw money into existence?" Finch’s voice suddenly came from the side as his merchant instincts immediately associated FatelessPen’s ability with wealth and limitless profit.
FatelessPen didn’t respond verbally. Instead, the pen within his hand flickered lightly, and the next instant, a heap of platinum coins crashed onto the floor of the aircraft.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
The man literally didn’t need to work another day in his life. He could simply sit down and endlessly draw money until the end of his existence.
However, nobody bothered voicing such thoughts aloud. They all understood that absolute power and strength couldn’t simply be purchased with money alone.
"Is there a limit to what you can draw?" Asher asked as he picked up one of the platinum coins. It felt entirely tangible and real within his hand. He could already tell it wasn’t the kind of object that would suddenly disappear the moment the ability was deactivated.
"Hoo!!! Already asking about my weaknesses? Aren’t you daring?" FatelessPen joked with a smile on his face, deliberately avoiding answering the question directly. It was common knowledge that every ability possessed some form of weakness or limitation. It was simply left for others to discover them on their own rather than having the user reveal them openly.
Just as Asher was about to speak again, an enormous tentacle suddenly slammed into the Sky Jet with brutal force and terrifying power. Although the students felt the tremor from the impact, nothing actually happened due to the Sky Jet’s built-in defensive systems.
"It seems that’s my cue," FatelessPen stated casually. "We can continue this conversation once we arrive at the Thalvorn Empire." With a smirk still resting upon his face, he vanished from where he stood, instantly reappearing outside the Sky Jet.
Asher and the other students immediately rushed toward the windows to watch the battle that was about to unfold. Beneath them stretched an endless ocean, and from within it had emerged what appeared to be a gigantic high-rank Octopus monster.
FatelessPen didn’t even bother reacting emotionally to the monster before him. He simply flicked his soul-bound pen as though painting an attack into existence itself.
The next moment, Astra Energy exploded outward from his Astra veins as the entire endless ocean suddenly began to churn violently, transforming into one colossal oceanic vortex filled with crushing force and countless water blades centered entirely around the Octopus.
Before the creature could even react properly, it was instantly reduced into shredded chunks of meat paste beneath the horrifying force of the attack.
FatelessPen floated calmly above the ocean with an indifferent expression upon his face. It had taken him less than a single second to eliminate a Void-class monster entirely.
He glanced briefly at the ocean now dyed purple from the creature’s blood before vanishing once again.
Asher, who had watched the massacre unfold from beginning to end, could only shake his head inwardly. People within Crymora truly possessed far too many outrageous abilities. He couldn’t help but silently thank the Stars for allowing him to obtain the Star Core Fragment in the first place.
The days passed surprisingly quickly afterward. None of the other Instructors bothered interacting with the students, as they all remained on the highest floor of the Sky Jet throughout the journey. The students themselves frequently moved between the current floor and the resting floor above, where many of them practically slept through most of the trip. Others became interested in trying the dishes served by the culinary services aboard the Sky Jet and constantly visited the kitchen floor instead.
Throughout the long week, they encountered various attacks from monsters, beasts, and even Emovirae. At first, the students were naturally nervous and wary about the constant dangers surrounding them, but after only a few hours, they gradually became accustomed to it all since FatelessPen effortlessly handled every single threat entirely on his own without allowing even one creature to come close to harming the Sky Jet.
As the date of arrival gradually drew closer and closer, the students’ excitement naturally returned once more. The moment seven full days passed, almost nobody slept anymore, unwilling to risk missing the moment they finally entered another Empire.
As for Asher, he had spent the entire week either staring out of his window silently, talking casually with his friends, or sleeping like a log without a care in the world. He had once asked whether the Sky Jet contained a training chamber, but unfortunately, it didn’t. He had at least hoped to cultivate slightly during the journey.
Suddenly, a voice boomed throughout the lower floors of the Sky Jet.
"We’ve arrived at the Thalvorn Empire. Prepare yourselves to disembark from the Sky Jet."
At those words, the students’ eyes immediately blazed with adventurous excitement.
Asher simply continued staring through the window, where he could already see the countless lights illuminating the Empire below from above, stretching endlessly into the distance like a sea of stars scattered across the land itself.
The Sky Jet slowly began descending as it prepared to land.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Where do I even begin? Should I say thank you? I’ve said those a million times. Should I say I appreciate the effort? I’ve also said those a million times. Should I say I love you all to the moon and back? Unfortunately, those words have been said way too many times.
Words fail me at this point. I think only proposing to you all, or maybe even uploading my nudes on here, can do justice to the amount of support I’ve gotten thus far.
The back-to-back gifting, the constant comments, the suggestions, the momentum to climb the ranks... everything feels so overwhelming at this point. It feels as though saying thank you feels stupid, but that’s the only thing I can say... sigh.
We’ve officially climbed to the 10th rank, meaning we just have to hold out till the end of the month in order to get the Chapters.
This author is kneeling as he is writing these words, which come from my deepest heart. Truly, thank you. You all have made my existence.
And lastly; Bonus Chapter Sponsored by the_gaming_weirdo
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